- ARAB NEWS
- 26 Apr 2024
Since 1975
Rawan Radwan
JEDDAH: A panel of independent experts has been commissioned to investigate and assess the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 response.
The panel will include Dr. Thoraya Obaid, a Saudi national selected as an independent member.
Obaid, a former executive director of the UN Population Fund, told Arab News: “The panelists have been chosen for their expertise. They will work independently to ensure the analysis is unbiased and provide a real picture of the global response to the pandemic.”
Initiated by the WHO, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response was set up following calls for an impartial and independent review of the health body’s response to the pandemic.
The panel will also recommend strategies to improve pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacity.
With over 26.7 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide and almost 880,000 virus-related deaths, the world continues to grapple with the pandemic and its impact.
The panel co-chairs, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, announced the 11 panelists on Thursday.
Panelists include former government officials, heads of international organizations and health experts with expertise ranging from infectious disease to global and national health policies.
Other prominent panelists include Prof. Mark Dybul, former head of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Canadian physician Dr. Joanne Liu who formerly led Medecins Sans Frontieres; David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former UK foreign minister; and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo.
After the panel’s first meeting on Sept. 17 it is expected to seek evidence and views from stakeholders including WHO member states, health experts, economists and the public.
The panel will submit its report to the 74th World Health Assembly in May 2021.
Panelists were selected independently by the co-chairs on the basis of expertise in outbreak response, managing national health systems, leadership in youth and community engagement, and knowledge about international system and processes.
